11 Tried-and-True Tips for Making Weeknight Meals Easier

How amazing would life be if you could make dinner in under 30 minutes every weeknight? With these easy cooking tips for making weeknight meals, quick-and-easy weeknight dinners can become a regular occurrence at your house.

Save time and reduce stress in your week with these tried and true tips to make quick weeknight meals. We’ll dive into a few expert cooking ideas that are easy to implement and will save you boatloads of time.

And the best part? You don’t need to be a cooking wizard to get started!

About this Guide to Cooking and Dinner Tips

So how do you make quick weeknight meals your family will actually want to eat? It turns out, there are several cooking tips that drastically cut down on kitchen time. In this guide to cooking quick weeknight meals, we’ll cover:

• Planning and prep cooking tips
• How to make dinner easy
• Simple recipes that make quick weeknight meals

Cooking Tips to Make Dinner Easy

Alright, if you’re looking to make dinner a breeze, then you’ll first want to take a few minutes to plan ahead. These cooking tips are designed to cut down your time in the kitchen, so you can spend time with your family and keep up with your busy schedule. 

Because the last thing you want to do is spend hours in the kitchen, especially after a long day at work and running kids around to activities.

I’ve assembled this list of dinner tips to help you plan meals for the week. Before you even hit the grocery store, read through these cooking tips to set yourself up for success.

Plan and Prep Ahead

Think about your week ahead. If your schedule looks packed, then you’ll want to create a simple meal plan that considers cooking time. Make a point to plan easy meals on days that are particularly busy in order to avoid feeling rushed.

Next, you’ll want to carve out a little time after shopping to clean your kitchen space, chop your produce, and prep any items for the week. These simple time-savers go a long way to helping you out on a busy weeknight.

Choose Simple Recipes for Quick Weeknight Meals

When it comes to quick weeknight meals, plan dishes that use no more than 5 to 6 ingredients. Simple meals take less time to cook. Think about delicious staples and use pre-cooked ingredients such as jarred sauces when you can.

Here are a few of our favorite 30-minute meals: walking taco casserole, air fryer chicken leg quarters and Italian Stromboli with pizza dough.

Plan a Family Favorite

Save complicated recipes for the weekend. One of the best cooking tips for making weeknight meals is to plan simple family favorite dishes. Perhaps it’s your tried-and-true mac-n-cheese recipe or a salad as a main dish, like this crunchy Asian chicken salad or a classic taco salad.

Whatever it is, pick something the whole family loves but doesn’t take forever to make. These ham and cheese crescent ring, French bread pizza and copycat Big Mac sliders recipes are always a hit at my house.

Make Large Quantities of Protein

Plan ahead by making large batches of a protein early in the week and use it when things get busy. For example, make several pounds of ground beef then season it for tacos, beef burrito bowls, old fashioned sloppy Joes, and more.

Or cook up a batch of my easy meal prep chicken. The cooked chicken can be used to make easy weeknight chicken spaghetti, sandwiches, bok choy salad and you can even freeze some for future meals.

Cooking proteins in advance saves tons of time throughout the week. I like to warm it back up in the oven, air fryer or stovetop instead of the microwave for the best taste.

Use Pre-Made Food

Don’t shy away from using pre-made foods. Items like canned broths, ready-to-eat salad dressings, and frozen veggies can cut prep time to mere minutes compared to their from-scratch cousins. If your local grocery store has a salad bar buy some pre-cut veggies for a quick stir fry.

Or grab a rotisserie chicken for a variety of meal options. You can serve it as a roast chicken dinner, chop it up for a quick chicken salad or shred it for easy weeknight chicken spaghetti or a pot of chicken noodle soup.

If you do like to make your own base ingredients, carve out some time on the weekends to prepare them ahead of time. You can make a batch of my creamy house dressing recipe in about 10 minutes so it’s a great choice if you like homemade dressings.

Enlist Some Kitchen Help

Teach your family to cook – seriously! Enlisting the help of your kids with prep and cooking is a great way to spend time together and catch up on their day.

Younger kids can rinse and tear lettuce for salads. If you have older kids teach them a few knife skills and let them prep the fresh ingredients like fruits and vegetables.

This tip is especially helpful for kids in their teens since they’re getting towards the age of being out on their own. Learning valuable cooking skills serves double duty by also giving them a great start towards independence.

Cook Once, Eat Twice

A tried and true favorite cooking tip: make two dishes at once. For easy-to-freeze favorites, create a double batch of items like soups, casseroles, curries and more. Simply freeze the second batch and you’ve got a future meal ready to go. 

You can also do this with bases and broths. Simply thaw them and add your favorite ingredients for a quick weeknight meal.

Plan a No-Cook Meal

No-cook meals are the ultimate time-saver. Think things like hearty sandwiches, main-dish salads, and others. These meals tend to be healthier, and they save time too.

And the best part? They make great no-heat leftovers for the next day’s lunch. Check out 12 no cook dinner ideas and 20 summer salad recipes for inspiration.

Breakfast for Dinner

If your family loves breakfast foods then breakfast for dinner is a quick and easy weeknight meal the whole family will love. It’s cost-effective, efficient, and delicious. Because who doesn’t love bacon for dinner?!

Here are a few quick breakfast options to try: Hawaiian roll breakfast sliders and stuffed breakfast biscuits.

Sheet Pan Meals

There is nothing that beats the efficiency of a sheet pan meal. Items like make-your-own-pizza, Italian chicken potato green bean bake, and pan-roasted fish all make excellent weeknight, time-saving meals.

A lot of these types of meals also make great leftovers for lunches the next day.

Use Small Appliances

Small kitchen appliances shine when it comes to making weeknight meals easier. Use your air fryer and instant pot to substantially cut down your cooking time, and the crockpot is great for dump-and-go dinners.

These cooking tips will make a huge difference in your meal planning and give you some breathing room while you’re juggling a packed schedule. You can still enjoy a delicious home-cooked meal during the week, without laboring in the kitchen for hours.

Use these time-saving techniques to create mouth-watering quick weeknight meals the whole family will enjoy.